Octavia Spencer’s routine check-up revealed diabetes — now she is urging kidney screening

The Oscar-winning actor says she felt healthy when a routine physical detected diabetes, prompting her to speak out about early testing for kidney disease.

Octavia Spencer says a routine physical for an acting job changed the course of her health. The Oscar-winning actor told Prevention that she went into the appointment in her 30s expecting nothing more than a standard check-up, only to learn that her blood sugar levels were in the diabetes range. “Yeah, it was a shock,” she said, adding that she felt fine at the time and had no obvious warning signs.

Spencer’s experience reflects a well-known challenge with type 2 diabetes: it can develop gradually and often without clear symptoms, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. The Mayo Clinic notes that diagnosis commonly relies on an A1C test, which measures average blood sugar over the previous two to three months, as well as fasting or random blood glucose tests. Spencer also said she was close to 300 pounds at the time, and later described the combination of being overweight but feeling healthy as “dangerous”.

After the diagnosis, Spencer said the first priority was bringing her A1C under control. The American Diabetes Association recommends an A1C target of 7% or less for most adults with diabetes, although the appropriate goal can vary depending on age, other health conditions and the risk of low blood sugar. Spencer said she cut back on refined carbohydrates, exercised when she could and worked to find a doctor she felt comfortable with, because she did not want to feel anxious every time she went for care.

Her concerns did not stop at blood sugar. Spencer said she asked for a urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio, or uACR, test because diabetes and high blood pressure can both increase the risk of kidney disease. The test looks for albumin in urine, which can be an early sign of kidney damage, and specialists say that early detection can help slow progression with better blood sugar and blood pressure control, lifestyle changes and, when needed, kidney-protective medicines. Spencer said her results were normal and argued that people should not avoid testing simply because they fear what they might find.

Now, Spencer is using her experience to encourage others to ask about kidney screening. She is backing Detect the SOS Collective, a campaign linked to Boehringer Ingelheim, the American Diabetes Association, the National Kidney Foundation, Mended Hearts and WomenHeart. In January, she told People that managing type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure has become harder with age, and said her friend Sofía Vergara is also involved in the effort as a caregiver advocate. Spencer’s message is straightforward: if there is a chance of a problem, it is better to know early, because, as she put it, “There’s stuff that can be done!”